By Jake Dye

For the Homer Independent Press

Some cuts to teachers and programs may be reversed if an increase in state funding approved by the Legislature last month reaches the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. 

However, as he did in 2025, Gov. Mike Dunleavy could once again veto more education funding — a possibility KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland raised at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

The district’s finance committee on Monday heard a finance update on two major changes to its fiscal outlook. Both the borough and the state have tentatively increased funding for education this year. Back in April, the Kenai Peninsula school board approved a plan slashing facilities, staff and programs, assuming aid for schools was going to be cut.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in May approved a roughly $3 million increase over the amount initially proposed by Borough Mayor Peter Micciche — to a total of $62 million headed to the local district. The budget subsequently passed by the Alaska Legislature included new one-time funding for schools — a projected increase to the KPBSD of $9.5 million, split between school aid and energy relief funding. 

The increased funding means that some of the many cuts implemented by the current budget can be reversed. More than $2 million in teacher salaries and benefits will be restored, and librarians will no longer be eliminated from the district, thanks to the increased funding from the borough.

On Monday, the district outlined cuts that could be reversed if the state funding comes through. 

The district recommended reversing cuts made to custodians, some library aides (a title that belies the fact that the library aides who may be restored are the only library staff in their facilities), a theater technician, Kenai Peninsula Middle College funding, the middle school reading program and extracurricular stipends. 

The middle college is a program that allows KPBSD students to earn both high school and college credits through a partnership with Kenai Peninsula College. 

In all, reversing those cuts would cost around $2.5 million, leaving nearly $8 million untouched. That remaining money would be used to begin rebuilding the district’s fund balance, administration said Monday, though ongoing negotiations with the unions representing district teachers and support staff have long been expected to result in an unknown increase in expenses. Those negotiations have stretched for more than a year and recently entered mediation.

While the district’s finance committee on Monday discussed possible cuts to reverse, no one suggested revisiting closures to four district schools this year — and the larger board of education in approving the closures of Seward Middle School, Tustumena Elementary School, Sterling Elementary School and River City Academy earlier this year said they wouldn’t be reversed even if more funding manifested.

Last year, a major, permanent increase to education funding was delivered to Alaska’s school districts — but only after lawmakers came together to override multiple vetoes by Dunleavy.

That was the caution Holland voiced to the finance committee Monday as they weighed options for the coming windfall. It could be many weeks — or even well after the district’s next budget is implemented, starting July 1 — before they really know how much money they’ll have.

“I do have a high degree of caution on the budget and what we do right now,” Holland said.

There were differing opinions as to what should be restored, and as to how much of the new money should be spent.

“I just want to also proceed with a little bit of caution,” Kelly Cizek, who represents Sterling and Funny River, said. “One-time funding means we have to rip it all back up.”

Mica Van Buskirk, who represents the Eastern Peninsula, called to spend the funding available.

“Our job is student outcomes,” she said. “We’ve got some money this year that could impact children’s lives and education for this year, because every single year we have children in our schools who need that support.”

She also called for restoring a theater technician in Seward, rather than adding another position to the four already hosted in the Central Peninsula.

The committee took no formal action during Monday’s meeting, but said they’d prioritize restoring library aides, the middle college, and custodians before extracurriculars and the theater technician. They also called on the district administration to explore adding a new position to support career and technical education.